Melodies But No Mermaids
by the blonde bunny
Summary: Sent away from Tokyo by her mother, Nanami Lucia moves to Umachi, a small beach town in Southern Japan, to live with her older sister. She wasn't expecting much, just a place that would deliver her much desired and deserved peace. But after meeting Domoto Kaito, Lucia realizes that her long awaited peace may just have to be put on hold.
1. The First Day

**AN**: So this is just a regular ol' High School AU with our beloved characters from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch. The girls are all 15, and in their first year of High School based off of the Japanese school system. The town "Umachi" is the name of the town that the girls lived in in the anime and manga, because I don't remember if the town actually had a name. If it does, and I stupidly missed it, please message me so I can fix it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch, or any of the characters in it

* * *

**Chapter 1**

_Thursday Afternoon_

"Lucia!" My big sister, Nikora yelled happily, dropping her broom and rushing towards me, her arms open. Grinning, I jumped into them, hugging her back tightly. Her soft hair brushed against my cheek, smelling like peaches and cleaning supplies.

"I've missed you so much! It feels good to be here!" I laughed, stepping away from Nikora and grabbing my bags.

"You haven't even been here for a day, how can it feel good?" My sister asked, shaking her head and taking some of my luggage.

"I don't know, it just does." I replied. Still shaking her head, Nikora led the way inside.

"Welcome to Pearl Piari: the best hotel in town, and your new home!" She announced. "This here is Taki, she's our fortune teller," Nikora pointed to an old lady with long gray hair.

"Lucia, is it? Let's take a look at your fortune." Taki greeted.

"No no, you don't have to do that." I said, but it was too late. The old fortune teller had her eyes closed, and hands hovering around her crystal ball. Various "hmm's" and "oh's" escaped her mouth, before she finally opened her eyes.

"Stay away from dolphins." Taki told me seriously, before breaking out in a large smile. "Ah well, it was nice meeting you. I'm hungry."

"Ignore her, Taki's fortunes are never right." Nikora informed me. "Alright, let's get you situated!"

* * *

"Can I go to the beach?" I asked Nikora.

"Yeah, but change first. You look horrible." She answered, lacking kindness. I stuck my tongue at her, but hurried up the stairs to get changed. Luckily all of my bags were unpacked, so the clothes were all folded neatly inside drawers. After slipping on a tank top and some old jean shorts, and tugging my converse on, I was ready to go.

"I'm going to the beach!" I yelled to no one, running out of the hotel and down the path that led to the beach. I was really starting to love how close it was to the hotel.

The beach wasn't very crowded, just some people playing volleyball, and there was only one surfer in the water. He was pretty good, too, so I sat in the sand and watched him for a little, oohing and aahing at all of the twists and turns he did.

Once the surfer was back on shore, I stood up and turned, ready to go back to the Pearl Piari, when somebody behind me said, "Hey."

I turned back around, only to find surfer dude behind me, and looking at me. And man, was he attractive. The guy had loose auburn hair that almost hid his eyes, which were a little more orange than his hair, and was tan from surfing. He was tall too, my head was where his chin was. It didn't help that he was shirtless, where I could see some _very_ visible abs.

"Like what you see?" He smirked, snapping me out of my hot guy daze.

"Not anymore." I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

He shrugged. "Are you new here? I've never seen you before."

"Yeah, I just moved here." I answered, brushing back a piece of my hair.

"Well, welcome to Umachi. I hope you enjoy it here."

"Me too. I have to go, but it was fun watching you surf. You're pretty good." I told him, before turning around and walking away.

"Well, I surf before school everyday, so if you wanna see more of it, you know where I'll be." The surfer guy called out. I gave him a thumbs up, and continued walking down the beach.

* * *

"Everyone, this is our new student, Nanami Lucia. She just moved here from Tokyo. Nanami, you can go and sit down next to Hosho Hanon." Mitsuki-sensei announced, pointing to a pretty girl with dark blue hair, and big brown eyes. Following his instructions, I went and sat down next to her, putting my bags underneath my desk.

After Mitsuki-sensei was done with his announcements, he let us have a free period. Immediately Hanon scooted her chair over to my desk in record speed, elbows on my desk and smiling face in her hands.

"Did you really come from Tokyo?" She asked, looking at me with curious eyes. I nodded, uncertain if it was wise to be reassuring her thoughts. "That is SO cool. What was it like? Was the shopping there good? Were there cute boys? There are lots of those here too, but cute boys from a big city? Those are the BEST boys!"

"Hanon, take it easy. Don't want to scare our new student." A girl scolded, though in the way good friends do. She had long dark green hair, and gray eyes. She was gorgeous. "I'm Toin Rina." She greeted, holding out her hand. I shook it, giving her a big smile. She didn't return it.

"Oh relax Rina, I'm sure she was delighted by me, weren't you Lucia?"

"Um, yeah, I was totally delighted." I said, sounding and feeling awkward. But Hanon didn't notice, and instead stuck her tongue out at Rina.

"Told ya! Hey, Lucia, Rina and I were gonna go down to the beach after school today, wanna come? We know this great place where you can wade around in! It's called Small Sea Cove."

"I'd love to, but we'd have to stop by my house so I can change. Is that alright?" I asked, beaming at the two of them. Only Hanon returned my smile, but Rina didn't look mean or anything. I got the feeling that she was just someone who didn't smile very much, but she wasn't unhappy or anything.

"That's fine. Where do you live?" Rina asked.

"The Pearl Piari Hotel, my sister runs it." I answered.

"Wow, that's so cool! Ooh, are there any cute boys staying there?" Hanon said, hands clasped together and a starry look in her eyes.

"Not at the moment." I replied sadly, pouting.

"How horrible!" Rina muttered sarcastically.

"Oo, watch out, Kaito's making his way towards you!" Hanon not-so-secretly whispered to me, pointing to the boy I met yesterday. "We'll leave you two alone." She said with a wink, pulling Rina away with her.

"It's not like that!" I called out to Hanon, but I didn't know if she heard me or not.

"Hey, you're that girl I met yesterday. That's quite a coincidence, don't you think?" Kaito smirked, holding out his hand. "I'm Doumoto Kaito, by the way. I didn't get to introduce myself to you yesterday."

"You already know my name." I replied, shaking his hand and smiling at him.

"So why'd you leave Tokyo to come to this small town?" Kaito asked.

"The city was just a little too busy for me." I responded, not exactly telling the whole truth. He nodded, and opened his mouth to say something, but Mitsuki-sensei asked everyone to return to their seats and open up their Math book. The class groaned, but was quickly shushed by Mitsuki-sensei.

"Hey now, none of that. Math is an important skill in life." He scolded, flipping through his own book until he found the right page. "Class, please go to page 141, and complete problems 12-32. You can work together, but no copying off each other."

"Oo, Tarou is just _so_ cute, isn't he?" Hanon cooed, dragging her chair back to my desk.

"Isn't he like 25 or something?"

"As if a little thing like _age_ matters," she scoffed, opening up her Math book. "Are you good at Math?"

"Um..."

"Neither am I. Let's go to Rina, she'll help us out." Hanon determined, grabbing her materials and marching over to her green-haired friend. I followed her with less confidence.

"Rina! We-" Hanon started, putting on her best smile.

"No." Rina replied, not even bothering to stop working on her problem.

"But-"

"Hanon, I'm not letting you copy my work."

"_Rina_," Hanon gasped, looking offended, though I doubted she actually was. "I would _never_ do that! I just wanted you to help Lucia and I out, since we're both terrible at Math."

"Hey now, no need to shout it to the whole world." I muttered, blushing under everyone's gaze. Hanon was not being quiet.

"Hanon, if you think you don't understand the math concepts, why didn't you just ask for my help?" Mitsuki-sensei asked, motioning for the blue-haired girl to come to his desk. Blushing, Hanon did as he ordered, leaving me alone with Rina.

"I don't suppose you'd help me?" I asked her hesitantly, giving her a small smile.

The green-haired girl sighed. "Do you plan on copying my work?"

I shook my head. "Never!"

"Alright, let's get started."

* * *

"Why are we in here again?" Rina asked, tapping some of the piano keys. It was recess, and Hanon had dragged us to the music room.

"Because it's nice and quiet." Hanon said, making it sound like Rina was stupid for not understanding that. My blue-haired friend was sitting on the piano, legs swinging back and forth like a little kid. Rina was leaning against it, her fingers tracing the wood.

"I can't argue with that." She muttered, but still shot Hanon a flat look.

I smiled at the two of them, before picking up a guitar. It was old, but when I strummed it, the notes carried beautifully. Before I knew it, I was sitting on the piano bench and playing a tune to a well-known song.

_"White lips, pale face_

_Breathing in snowflakes_

_Burnt lungs, sour taste"_

Surprised from the singing, I stopped playing, and looked up in confusion. Hanon tilted her head, giving me a little pout.

"Why'd you stop?" She asked.

"I didn't know you could sing." I replied, staring at her in wonder. Hanon shrugged, and moved her head in Rina's direction.

"Rina can too. How about you?"

"A little. Want me to continue playing?" I asked, doing so anyways without waiting for her answer.

Hanon continued singing, though Rina jumped in at the chorus. Encouraged by their singing, I joined them in the second verse with a grin. Soon the three of us were singing together confidently, even Rina smiling as we sang the last note.

"You guys are amazing! Hanon you're voice is so clear and pretty, and Rina your voice is just gorgeous!" I gushed, my smile half of my face. It felt so natural to sing with them, like we'd known each other all our lives instead of three hours.

"Did you hear yourself? Lucia, you're an amazing singer!" Hanon cried, her hands moving in a flurry.

"There aren't many things Hanon and I agree on, but this is one of them." Rina agreed quietly. My smile broadened, warmed by the two girls compliments.

Maybe school wouldn't be as bad as I thought it would.

* * *

**AN:** Hopefully you enjoyed it! A review would be awesome, but the fact that you read this is amazing enough. If you have any tips or suggestions, I'm all ears! I'll probably update sometime in a couple of days, though I'm not sure. I have a pretty busy two weeks coming up. The song that Lucia, Hanon and Rina sang was "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran, the hottest ginger of us all.


	2. Taki Was Right, Sorta

**AN: **Thank you so much for the reviews! Not gonna lie, I screamed when I got my first review. And don't worry, all of your ideas were taken into consideration! One of you even suggested an idea that I was already writing in the next chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_Friday Afternoon_

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"Don't I look cute?" Hanon asked Rina and I, spinning so we could get the full view. She wore a dark blue bikini, with shorts that had the American Flag design on them. I had to admit, the bathing suit wasn't unflattering.

"Totally." I agreed indifferently, turning back around to find a bathing suit. I could've sworn they were in the bottom drawer.

"You know you don't have to always agree with her, right? It's better to ignore her." Rina called out from my bed. She had already dressed, wearing a strapless bikini top that was half-white and half-black, and black board shorts. It didn't surprise me that she looked like she stepped out of a magazine.

"But you'd be the best person EVER if you always agreed with me." Hanon pointed out, before sitting on top of Rina's legs. "Have you found your bathing suit yet?"

"Yes!" I cried out in triumph, emerging from the depths of my closet wearing a pink bikini.

"You look adorable! Now put on some shorts, I wanna get there as soon as possible." Hanon squealed, jumping off my bed and bringing Rina with her. I laughed, and pulled on a pair of short dungarees.

"Alright, let's go!" I shouted happily, looping my arm through Hanon's and running down the stairs. Rina followed us, much less enthusiastic about the whole thing.

"Don't stay out too late, Lucia, you have chores on the weekends!" Nikora called out to me. I waved her off, and ran down to the beach, only to trip over my own foot, and face plant into the sand.

"Nice one, Lucia." Kaito laughed above me. I removed my face from the ground to glare at him, before standing up.  
"Surfing?" I guessed, pointing to his surfboard.

Kaito nodded. "Yeah, wanna watch me?"

"I can't, sorry. Hanon and Rina are taking me to Small Sea Cove, wherever that is."

"Oh, it's a good day to go there. Maybe I'll join you after I'm done surfing." Kaito said, winking at me.

"Maybe you will." I smiled, turning around at Hanon's voice.

"C'mon Lucia, let's go!" She cried out, running ahead of me, dragging Rina. Laughing, I waved goodbye to Kaito, running to catch up to Rina and Hanon.

It barely took us any time to get to Small Sea Cove, and when we arrived, I was amazed. Bright blue sea, surrounded by low cliffs, with other rocks placed randomly throughout the cove, where brightly colored fish swam everywhere.

"I'm guessing you're not disapointed?" Rina laughed, wading into the water.

"Um, how deep is it?" I asked, scratching the back of my neck.

"All of the important places aren't even up to your shoulders." Hanon answered, taking off her shorts and following Rina. "Don't worry, Rina and I can't swim too." I sighed in relief, glad to not be the only one, before slipping out of my dungarees and running into the water. It was a little on the cold side, but the day was hot, so it was refreshing.

"Where should we go first?" Hanon asked Rina, a coy smile on her face.

"How about the turtles?" Rina answered, copying the look on Hanon's face.

"Perfect!" The blue-haired girl exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Lead the way, Rina."

Both scared and excited, I followed the two girls, who were walking towards the side opposite of the entrance. They stopped when we were in knee deep water, and Hanon grabbed my arm and pulled me between the two of them.

"Look, Lucia." Rina whispered, pointing at something a couple feet away. I followed her finger, and nearly gasped with delight when I saw what it was.

A group of sea turtles of all different sizes were laying in the waves, some "playing" with each other, and some lazily nibbling on some seaweed. A couple of them even swam up to Hanon, Rina and I, and swam around us. One even swam between my legs.

"Oh my god!" I giggled as a baby sea turtle kept bumping himself against my leg.

"Gently push him in the right direction," Hanon laughed, kneeling down at demonstrating on her own sea turtle that kept ramming into her legs. Nodding, I did as she told, almost feeling sad when the baby turtle swam away.

Throughout the next two hours, they showed me all the cove had to offer. We played with the fish, jumped from rock to rock, and explored some of the caves. The entire place was amazing.

"Okay, we have to show you one more thing before we need to go. I have to stop by the store, and Hanon needs to do god knows what." Rina stated, standing up from where we were sitting.

"Hey, I have to go but some flip flops, mine broke." Hanon stuck her tongue out. I laughed, and helped my blue-haired friend stand up.

"Show us the way, oh wise one." I joked. Rina rolled her eyes, but started walking on a path that led towards a small ledge. It wasn't too high, probably only 10 feet from the water. We got there within minutes, and soon the three of us were sitting on the edge.

"What am I supposed to be looking at?" I asked Hanon and Rina.

"Just wait. You'll see in a few minutes." Hanon answered, winking at me.

And Hanon was right, because not two minutes later, a dolphin suddenly leaped out the water.

"Oh my god! Did you see that?" I exclaimed, jumping in my seat.  
"Shh, just watch." Rina said with a smile. I nodded excitedly, and calmed down.

Over the next 15 minutes, a pod of dolphins swam around in Small Sea Cove, playing with each other and jumping out of the water. It was amazing. I couldn't stop smiling the entire time, or laughing when a mother dolphin scolded her kid.

"I'm really starting to love this town." I sighed happily after the dolphins left, leaning back on my hands.

"You'll love it even more once we show you what else it has to offer." Rina vowed, offering Hanon and I a hand. Hanon took it, but I shook my head.

"I think I'll stay here and enjoy the view a little longer." I told them.

"Alright, but don't go swimming." Hanon warned playfully, before she and Rina waved goodbye.

As I sat on the ledge, I thought about how fun today was. Hanon and Rina were so nice to take me here. I hoped the three of us would become better friends, because they were pretty fun to be around.

A loud splash broke me out my thoughts, and I leaned down to see what had made the noise. It turned out to be a fish, but it wasn't like the other ones I had seen today. It was much bigger, and had a weird pattern. I leaned down even more, curious, but that was my mistake.

A piece of the cliff that I had been resting the majority of my weight on broke off, and fell into the water, me with it.

* * *

I woke up to somebody pressing my stomach repeatedly.

"Lucia!" Kaito cried out with relief, helping me sit up.

"What-what happened? All I remember is falling off, landing in the water, and thrashing around until I blacked out." I croaked, before coughing up salt water all over Kaito. Thankfully he didn't seem to be too worried about it, instead checking me over and making sure I was all right.

"I was walking over here, when I heard a bunch of splashes, and then I saw you drowning, so I jumped in and swam the two of us to shore. You weren't waking up, not matter how many times I did CPR on you, or-"

"Wait," I interrupted. "You did mouth-to-mouth on me?" Kaito rolled his eyes at my blush.

"Yes, Lucia, I did mouth-to-mouth on you. Don't be such a prude."

"I'm not, you idiot!"

"Explain the blush then?" He smirked, pouting when I hit his chest.

"It's just embarrassing to be 15 and not know how to swim. That's why I'm blushing."

"I can teach you how to, if you want." Kaito offered, pulling me into a standing position. I was all too aware of his hand on my hip, steadying me.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. Sure, he seemed like a nice guy, but why would anyone waste their time teaching a 15 year old girl how to swim?

"Yeah. Not this weekend though, I have a surfing tournament, but how about next Saturday? Meet me by the volleyball courts at 1:30, is that alright?"

"Um, sure, that's fine." I replied, removing myself from Kaito's side and slipping on my dungarees. My hip seemed cold without his hand there.

"What were you doing here by yourself anyway?" Kaito asked as we walked out of Small Sea cove, and onto the beach. Nobody was there, surprisingly.

"Rina and Hanon left after the dolphins came. I wanted to stay a little longer and enjoy the view." I explained, looking at the sea. The sun was just beginning to set, making the sky a dark orange.

"That's dangerous, being by yourself and not knowing how to swim." Kaito told me, concern in his voice. I was surprised, but shamefully happy to hear it. Kaito seemed like a good guy, and an even better friend.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that the cliffs would be so fragile." I said, stopping and turning to face the sunset, determined to enjoy it. Kaito paused with me, the two of us standing next to each other, barely touching. It was a little frustrating to be honest.

"Hey, Kaito?" I asked once the sun was down and we were walking.

"Yeah?" He answered, tilting his head downwards towards me.

"Thank you for saving my life."

"No problem, but now you owe me one." He smirked, shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"What!?" I cried, confused. "What do you mean I owe you one?"

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Simple, I did something for you, so now you have to do something for me."

"It's not like you had a choice! It was either do or I die!" I argued, using my hands for emphasis.

"Doesn't matter," He told me, shrugging, "you're still in my debt."

"Oh come ON, that's completely unfair! It's not like I wanted to be in a life threatening situation," I insisted, crossing my arms. Kaito, infuriating as he is, grinned.

"You would if I was in it, which I was."

I stopped in my tracks, turning towards him, my face twisted in disbelief.

"Did you hear yourself just then? Do you believe it, that if it meant spending time with you, I would be okay with dying? I would be all right with losing all of my experiences yet to come, the heartbreaks I'll feel, the memories I'd make with my friends, as long as I spent my last moments with you? Do you even realize what dying means?"

"Of course I do!" Kaito snarled, turning to me with an expression so fierce I took a small step back. "I know exactly what dying means, and what it does to those who loved the person gone. Do _you_ realize what dying means?"

"Of course I realize what it means! Were you not listening to me?" I shouted, thankful that the beach was deserted. Curling my hands into fists, I took a step closer to Kaito, glaring at him. "Do you understand the extent of your words? You're...you're," I stumbled, my bottom lip trembling, and tears forming in my eyes, "you're saying that I would be okay with leaving everyone behind, because guess what, I got to spend some time with a boy I barely know!" I finished, hastily wiping away the tears that had managed to fall out. Turning on one heel, I ran off, ignoring Kaito's cry for me to wait.

"Stupid Kaito, stupid stupid Kaito." I muttered to myself, leaning against a tree. After running away, I ended up at a park a couple streets away from the Pearl Piari. Thankfully there weren't many people there, just a dad and his two kids. Seeing the three of them together made me miss my family before the accident.

_"I know exactly what dying means, and what it does to those who loved the person gone_." Kaito's words yelled in my mind, accompanied by his face and voice. They were both angry, but there something else there, too. Something that dimmed my frustration at Kaito.

"Has he lost someone too?" I wondered aloud, hugging myself.

"Has who lost someone?" A small voice said from behind me.

"Ah!" I yelped, jumping up. Calming myself down, I turned around to see one of kids who was with her dad. She had dark brown hair braided in two pigtails, and big brown eyes stared at me curiously. She wore a green dress with a white sheep in the middle of her chest, and worn out sneakers.

"My...friend." I answered uncertainly, giving the little girl a weak smile.

"What do you mean by 'lost someone'?" She asked, tugging on one of her braids. I cringed inwardly, not wanting to make her sad.

"Um...um when you lose someone, it means that you can't see them anymore. So I was wondering if my friend couldn't see someone he deeply cared about anymore." I replied, looking at the little girl's face to see if there would be any tears. Strangely there wasn't.

"Have you lost someone?"

"Have I lost someone?" I repeated, surprised. The little girl nodded her head. "Um, yes, I have."

"Well, make sure you don't forget them, okay? That's the worst thing you can do." She told me, in that sweet naive way that all kids her age had. With that she waved goodbye, and skipped off, giggling as her father scolded her lightly for not staying by the playground.

"I couldn't forget even if I tried," I whispered, smiling at her before turning around and walking home.

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so that was Chapter 2. Reviews would be great, but as I said before, the fact that you're reading this is almost too good to be true. I'll probably update on Sunday, but not for the rest of the week cause I'll be on vacation with my family. Until next time!


	3. Mall Mischief

**AN:** Hey guys! Thanks so much for reviews! And honestly, I'm 90% sure that some of you can read my minds because each suggestion you have, I'VE ALREADY WRITTEN IN AN UPCOMING CHAPTER. Still, I love 'em suggestions! And I love you all!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Mermaid Melody.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Sunday_

The weekend passed by quickly. I finished all my chores after school, and on Sunday Hanon dropped by and the two of us went shopping.

"So, how are you liking Umachi?" Hanon asked as she pulled out a purple shirt and held it against her. Deciding she liked it, the petite girl draped it over her arm.

"I'm loving it, it's so beautiful and peaceful. Plus the food and shopping is great," I responded, putting back a green shirt. "How come Rina isn't with us?"

"Rina and shopping don't bode well together," Hanon answered, tossing a shirt behind her. "That and Sunday's are Rina's 'Day Without Hanon' time. Apparently it's vital to her mental health."

"Hopefully Rina doesn't make it "Day Without Hanon _And_ Lucia" time." I said optimistically, picking out a cute skirt.

"Hopefully she does, because then we can have "Day Where We Annoy Rina" time."

"Which will coincidentally be on a Sunday?" I giggled, fingering through the rack of clothing.

"Yup. Lucia, turn around and face me." Hanon ordered. I did as she told, and found a red dress thrust against my body by the blue-haired girl. Her brown eyes glittered.

"You NEED to try this on. Or else I'll kill you." Hanon demanded, looping her arm through mine. "Now, to the dressing rooms!"

"Onward ho!" I laughed as she dragged me.

* * *

In the end I did end up buying the dress Hanon picked out, along with several shirts and skirts. It would be an understatement to say Hanon bought a little more than I did.

After we were done raiding stores, the two of us walked towards the food court, hungry after a couple hours of shopping.

"Look, there's Kaito! Let's say hi. Kaito-!" Hanon started to call out, cut off only by my hand pressed against her mouth.

"Sh! I don't want him to see me!" I hissed while pulling us behind a trashcan.

"Why? Do you looove him? Do you wanna kiss him?" Hanon cooed, eyes shining.

"No! I think we're in a fight." I told her, peeking my head above the trashcan.

"You think?" She repeated doubtfully, following my lead.

"Well, he said something, and then I got mad at him, then he got mad at me, then I got mad at him again, and then started to cry and run away. That was on Friday. We haven't talked since." I explained, tracking Kaito with my eyes. He was with two boys that I recognized from class. Kenji and Daichi, I think.

"That sounds like you're in a fight." Hanon said unhelpfully.

"What should I do? He's standing in front of the restaurant I wanted to eat at." I grumbled, lowering my head and leaning against the trashcan.

"Let me see how serious your situation is." Hanon answered, before getting up and walking towards Kaito.

"Hanon!" I hissed, poking out from behind my hiding place. But it was too late, Kaito and the others already noticed her, and were motioning for her to join them.

The four of them talked for a couple of minutes, then Daichi and Kenji walked into the restaurant, leaving Kaito and Hanon alone. They were too far away too see their faces properly, but there was a lot of hand moving. And then Kaito was pointing in my direction. And then Kaito was walking in my direction. And then Kaito was next to the trash cans, looking down at me. Oh no.

"Kaito!" I laughed nervously, pressing my back against the trashcan. "How'd you know where I was?"

"I saw you dive behind these trash cans, Lucia."

"Well that is some very good eyesight you have." I remarked, scratching the back of my head.

"Lucia?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you hide behind trash cans?"

"I lost a-"

"Lucia."

"Fine. I wanted to avoid you. I didn't know if you were still mad at me." I confessed, looking down at my hands in my lap.

"So you hid behind a trash can?" Kaito clarified, sitting down beside me. Our knees touched. Blushing slightly, I nodded my head. He seemed unsure what to say, and so did I.

"Let's go have lunch." Kaito announced after a couple minutes, standing up. I nodded, grateful that the awkward silence didn't last too long.

"Okay, I bet Hanon and the others are waiting for us." I said, scrambling to my feet. Kaito frowned.

"Eh, I was thinking we could go to another place. I'm not in the mood for burgers. I heard there's a great sushi place around here." He explained, focusing on his feet. I tried to ignore the blush that was forming on my face, and the feeling in my stomach when I saw his face turn a little pink.

"Um, sure, that's good with me." I answered as smoothly as I could, picking up my shopping bags.

"Great let's-oh _crap_." Kaito groaned, before dropping to the ground and pressing his back against the trashcan.

"What is it?" I asked, looking around the area. There didn't seem to be anyone out of the ordinary, just a group of teenage girls and couples.

"See those group of girls?" He whispered, pointing in the general direction of them. I nodded.

"So?"

"Soo if they see me, we'll never get to have lunch." Kaito answered, adding a low "duh" at the end.

"Oookay," I responded doubtfully, "what do you want to do?"

"I don't know! If I had a girlfriend, they'd leave me alone!" He exclaimed, right before his face slowly formed a grin in a way that closely resembled something like the Grinch. If this was an anime, I'd be sweat-dropping right now. "Lucia, would you be my girlfriend?"

"What!" I yelped, nearly dropping my bags. I could already feel my face turning bright red. "K-Kaito I-"

"Relax, idiot, I don't really mean it." Kaito explained, rolling his eyes. I nodded, mostly relieved, but there was a small part of me that was...disapointed.

"We just have to look like a couple to them, and then once they're out of sight we can go stop." He continued, standing back up and brushing himself off. "So, you in?"

I weighed the cons and the pros. On one hand, acting like a couple would mean holding hands, and I'm ashamed to admit that I was pretty happy at that thought. But on the other hand, rumours might start flying, and I hadn't even been here a week. Still, we didn't have any other ideas, and my stomach was grumbling.

"Fine," I sighed, "but you're holding my bags."

Kaito broke out in a grin, taking my bags in one hand, and my hand in the other. His fingers felt rough intertwined with mine, but they still felt nice. I hoped that my hands weren't that sweaty. Feeling a little brave, I leaned my head against Kaito's shoulder. He gave me a thumbs up, and the two of us started walking towards the sushi place.

Immediately the group of girls saw Kaito, and started to rush over, but stopped when they saw me. They looked angry and confused.

"Who is she?" One of them asked, glaring at me.

"She's not that pretty." Another snarled.

"I bet he just feels bad for her. Anyone would, with a face like that."

"I dunno, they both look pretty happy."

"Yeah, and they do look kind of cute together."

"Anybody with Kaito looks cute together, I mean he's good looking enough for the both of them."

I bent my head and shut my eyes, ignoring the few tears that had squeezed out. I hadn't even been here for a week and already people were bad-mouthing me. Kaito's tightened grip on my hand caused me to look up at him. I was surprised to see that he looked angry, his eyes blazing at the girls.

"Hey, just ignore them. They're just jealous that they aren't holding hands with most amazing, handsome, perfect surfer in the world." Kaito said, smiling at me. I rolled my eyes, but was already starting to feel better.

The two of us walked to the sushi restaurant quickly, which thankfully wasn't too far away. The waiter showed us to a table right away, and soon Kaito and I were sitting in the corner, waiting for our food.

"So, Lucia," Kaito started, crossing his arms over his chest. "I didn't know you could sing. Hanon and Rina too, for that matter."

I choked on my water, barely saving myself from spitting my drink all over him. It was only after the horrible coughing that I was able to talk.

"I can't." I replied, rubbing my throat. "Sing, I mean. I can't sing."

"Yeah you can," Kaito said, "And play the guitar. I heard you and Hanon and Rina in the music room on Friday."

"You did?" I squeaked, mortified. "You eavesdropped on us!"

"H-Hey I didn't mean to!" He protested, looking guilty. "I was walking past and I heard singing, so I stopped and listened. I was surprised to hear that you guys were all pretty good, and even more surprised when I learned it was the three of you. I've known Hanon and Rina pretty much my entire life, and I had no idea. I'm actually surprised Hanon didn't flaunt her voice to anyone."

"Oh god this is so embarrassing." I muttered, hiding my face in my arms.

"What, why? I thought you were amazing, and the fact that you sounded the way you did while playing guitar is just awesome. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Oh my gosh where do I start? You could tell everyone, and then everyone's gonna be asking us to sing for them or something. And then everyone will start comparing our voices, and picking favorites and that's not gonna end well." I babbled, groaning after I was finished. "I'm gonna have to move to a new town! Change my name! Get a new hairdo and wear colored contact lenses! And all because of you, Kaito! Idiot!" I cried, slamming my forehead against the table.

"Woah woah woah, calm down Lucia. I'm not gonna tell anyone, I swear."

"Really?" I asked, looking up. "Promise?"

"I promise, you have nothing to worry about." Kaito reassured, giving me a small smile.

"Phew," I sighed, relieved. "I like it here. I wouldn't want to leave so soon after I got here."

The rest of the meal was amazing, filled with Kaito telling me all about this town and his surfing. Afterwards, he demanded I tell him all about Tokyo, and I obliged, leaving out all of the personal things. I wasn't ready to share those things yet.

"So, the Spring Festival is coming up." Kaito announced after we were done with lunch.

"What's that?" I asked, picking up my bags.

"It's this huge festival that celebrates the beginning of Spring and the beginning of the school year. It's incredibly fun, and everyone in town is gonna be there. We have one for each season."

"Oh, I think Hanon told me about that. She said something about how all the couples got together there." I replied, smiling as Kaito politely held the door open for me. The two of us walked out the sushi restaurant, headed back to where Hanon and Kenji and Daichi were. I was praying that Hanon wouldn't be too mad at me.

"Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come with me and a couple of my friends. You could bring Rina and Hanon too if you wanted."

"Really?" I asked, trying and failing to keep a massive grin off my face.

"Yes really," Kaito replied, rolling his eyes.

"YES!" I shouted, before slapping my hands over my mouth. Stay calm Lucia, don't make a fool of yourself. "I mean, sure, that'd be fun." I said coolly. Nailed it.

"Great," Kaito explained, breaking out in a smile, "we can go after your swimming lesson. Tell Hanon and Rina to meet us at the entrance at 5 o'clock."

"Sounds good," I said, beaming. Hearing a loud 'Lucia!' I turned and saw Hanon waving at me, flanked by Kenji and Daichi.

"Where were you two?" Hanon demanded upon our arrival, though she didn't seem mad. In fact, she even winked at me, and I replied by sticking my tongue at her.

"Didn't feel like burgers." Kaito supplied.

"Suurre." Daichi muttered, earning a glare from the auburn-haired boy. I blushed, bending my head so they couldn't see. Only now was I realizing what it must've looked like to everyone else.

"Okay, so Lucia and I should get going." Hanon informed everyone, looping her arm through mine.

"We should?" I questioned. Hanon glared at me. "We should." I stated.

"It was great having lunch with you two!"

"Keep your promise of finding me a girlfriend, Hanon!" Kenji called out as the short girl and I walked away. I waved goodbye to three boys, who returned it a little less enthusiastically.

"So what'd you need to talk about?" I asked Hanon when we were out of the mall.

"It's not good news." She told me gravely, looking at me with big eyes.

"It isn't?"

Hanon shook her head. "No, it's GREAT news!"

I sighed, though the bad feeling in my stomach didn't quite disappear. "Okay, what is this GREAT news you have?" Hanon took a dramatic breath, putting her hands on my shoulders and looking me dead in the eye.

"Thanks to my informants, you are now the most talked-about girl in school!"

* * *

**AN:** Sadly, this will be the only chapter updated for at least a week :( . My family and I are going on a week-long vacation, and that means no laptop. Anyways, I just wanted to thank you all for leaving the nicest reviews on earth. Seriously, I feel like I haven't been really showing my appreciation to you guys. I just want you all to know that I was a little nervous about posting this on here, but thanks to all of the reviews and follows I've decided this wasn't such a bad choice. Thank you all! *kisses you and hugs you all*


	4. Hanon's Hilarity

**AN:** Hey guys, I'm back! Gosh, y'all are just so sweet! Thanks so much for the reviews and everything! Anyways, this chapter is basically just a big Lucia and Hanon friendship chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Still Sunday_

"I'm what now?" I nearly shrieked, looking at Hanon in horror.

"The most talked-about girl in school! Isn't that great!" She squealed, clapping her hands together in celebration.

"No, it's not great!" I groaned, bringing my hands up to cover my face. "What's there to talk about? There's nothing special about me!"

"On the contrary, my dear," Hanon said, bopping me on the nose. "You are very special."

"Give me one good example." I challenged, crossing my arms and raising my eyebrows at her. The petite girl gave me a coy smile.

"Big city girl suddenly gone small town? It's a classic!" Hanon exclaimed, giggling afterwards.

"You're like a gossip magazine." I muttered sourly. She stuck her tongue at me.

"That's not all. Minutes after being introduced to the class, surfer star hottie Domoto Kaito approaches you? THE Domoto Kaito who's never once approached a girl, and he does it to you! Tell me how that is anything _but_ gossip material!"

"It wasn't _like that_," I pleaded, clasping my hands in front of Hanon's face and shaking them. "Kaito just wanted to know why I would move to a small town like this when I lived in Tokyo!"

"EXACTLY!" The blue-haired girl shouted, thrusting both of her pointer fingers at me. "Kaito's never shown interest in anything besides surfing, so if he's interested in your move, then everyone else would be too!"

"This is pointless," I grumbled, "I still don't understand what's so interesting."

"I know, I know. At least be glad no one besides Rina and I knows you can sing." She pointed out, trying to reassure me.

"Um, about that..." I murmured sheepishly. Instantly Hanon's brown eyes narrowed.

"Lucia, what do you mean 'about that'." She said darkly, suddenly becoming scary. I held my hands up in surrender, shaking them violently.

"It wasn't my fault he found out, I swear!"

"Who is 'he'?"

"Kaito," I answered, defeated and shoulders slumping. "When the two of us were having lunch he told me about how he overheard you, Rina and me singing. He said he was shocked that it was the three of us, saying how he thought that if you knew you had a voice like yours, you would've been showing it off for everyone to see."

The sound that came out of Hanon was not human. In fact, I didn't even think it could count as an animal. It was worse. So, so much worse.

"My plan! My beautiful, perfect plan, ruined!" She wailed, falling to her knees.

"Hanon!" I cried, dipping forward to catch her. The brown-eyed girl dug her fingers into my forearms, eyes wild.

"My...my plan. It's burned to ashes, and Kaito held the match that started it." Hanon whispered, before letting out a shrill sob.

"What plan?" I asked, steadying the girl. She took a deep breath, looking me dead in the eyes.

"My plan to leave this school flabbergasted and in awe of me. Everyone, and I mean everyone would be amazed by me! They'd talk about me years afterward, saying how Hosho Hanon left this school upside-down with her awesomeness!" Hanon explained, her despair long forgotten. In fact, I think that if you looked close enough, you could see literal stars in her eyes.

"What was the plan?"

Hanon's gleeful expression darkened. "It wasn't just a _plan_, Lucia. It was a masterpiece! The Tyra Banks of tactics!"

"Yeah, so what was the actual plan?" I pressed, considering if slapping Hanon would clear her mind.

"Right. Plan." The girl repeated, giving a curt nod. "It would've started with me pretending to be a horrible singer, which is obviously THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what's true. Anyways, everyone, though saddened by my flaw, would accept it, and try their very best to ignore me when I sing. But then the end of the year "Seniors Show Us Your Talents" show would happen, which is just a big talent show that all the Seniors are forced to participate in. Anyways, I would sign up for singing, ignoring of course everyone's desperate pleads for me to do something else. When it was my turn, I'd walk up on stage, radiating confidence and beauty. The audience and those back stage would be on the edge of their seats, hands raised and ready to cover their ears. The notes would play, and I'd open my mouth and start singing. My voice would be beautiful, amazing, PERFECT. I'd leave school with everyones heads' spinning!" Hanon explained, and once again I saw the stars in her eyes. But then her happy face dropped, and her eyes gleamed in a way that I wasn't sure was entirely healthy.

"And now it's ruined, all because Kaito had to stop his stupid face by the music room and listen in on us. My road to success is gone."

"No it's not! I made Kaito promise that he wouldn't tell anyone! Your plan can still work!" I told Hanon, giving her a big smile. She shook her head, lowering it.

"No one was supposed to know Lucia, NO ONE!"

"But Hanon, the first day we met you sang." I pointed out. Hanon paused, caught off guard.

"Well...that's because I really love 'The A Team'. And also...because something in me just knew that I could trust you, okay?"

"T-thanks, Hanon." I stammered, surprised by her compliment. But it still made me happy. Even though I didn't know her very long, already I could tell that Hanon would be somebody that I'd be close to forever. Rina too. And maybe even Kaito.

"No problem." Hanon beamed, picking up her bags. "Where to next?"

"I'm pretty tired actually. I was thinking about just going home." I confessed, doing the same as her.

"Oh," She said, sounding a little awkward. "well, I uh, guess I'll go home too."

"Oh, I thought that we could both go to my house." I replied just as awkwardly.

The two of us sorta just stared at each other for a minute, before breaking out laughing. It was hard to remember that our friendship was still new.

"Your place sounds good." Hanon wheezed after we were done cracking up. I nodded, still giggling, looped my arm through hers, and started walking in the direction of Pearl Piari.

* * *

"_This_ is your room?" Hanon exclaimed, dropping her bags in amazement. I nodded sheepishly, throwing my things in the corner.

"It's awesome!"

"Thanks, my sister picked it out for me." I told her, flopping down on my bed.

"You trusted your sister that much?" She asked, gaping. I nodded.

"At the time I was too nervous about moving to worry about what my room looked like."

"Well thankfully she did a good job." Hanon replied, jumping and landing next to me. I turned my head sideways to face her.

"What does your room look like?"

"It's bigger. And better." The petite girl said. Laughing, I pushed her face away and stood up, walking over to where my guitar was in a corner and grabbed, sitting down in a pink chair.

"What songs can you play?" Hanon asked, scooting forward until she was on the edge of my bed.

"I dunno. A lot?" I guessed, frowning. "They all sorta blur together. But you can name a song, and I can see if I can play it."

"Really? Okay, how about 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz?"

I scoffed. "What guitarist doesn't know that song?"

"True," Hanon said, tapping her fingers against her chin, "but can you still play it? I'm in the mood for it."

"Sure." I replied, already strumming. "But you're taking the lead."

"That's what I was hoping for." Hanon grinned, nodding her head along to the tune until it was time for her to sing.

_Well, you dawned on me and you bet I felt it_

_I tried to be chill but you're so hot that I melted_

_I fell right through the cracks_

_Now I'm trying to get back_

_Before the cool dawn run out_

_I'll be giving it my bestest_

_And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention._

_I reckon, it's again my turn_

_To win some or learn some._

_But I won't hesitate_

_No more, no more._

_It cannot wait,_

_I'm yours._

At this point Hanon had gotten up from the bed, and was lazily dancing around my room. I laughed, and at her request took the second verse.

_Well, open up your mind and see like me,_

_Open up your plans and damn you're free._

_Look into your heart and you'll find love, love, love, love._

_Listen to the music of the moment, people dance and sing, we're just one big family_

_And it's our God-forsaken right to be loved, loved, loved, loved, loved_

Hanon joined me for the chorus. By now I was standing up with her, swaying side to side as the blue haired girl twirled around my bedroom.

_So I won't hesitate_

_No more, no more._

_It cannot wait,_

_I'm sure._

_There's no need to complicate._

_Our time is short._

_This is our fate,_

_I'm yours._

_Do you want to come on, scootch on over closer, dear_

_And I will nibble your ear_

_I've been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror_

_And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer_

_But my breath fogged up the glass_

_And so I drew a new face and I laughed._

_I guess what I'll be saying is there ain't no better reason_

_To rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons._

_It's what we aim to do._

_Our name is our virtue._

_But I won't hesitate_

_No more, no more._

_It cannot wait,_

_I'm yours._

_Well, open up your mind and see like me,_

_Open up your plans and damn you're free._

_Look into your heart and you'll find that the sky is yours._

_So please don't, please don't, please don't..._

_There's no need to complicate._

_'Cause our time is short._

_This oh, this oh, this is our fate._

_I'm yours._

_Oh, I'm yours_

_Oh, I'm yours_

_Oh, oh,_

_Baby, do you believe, I'm yours?_

_You best believe, you best believe, I'm yours._

I applauded Hanon, and she curtsied, thanking an imaginary audience. Then she gestured to me, and giggling I curtsied as well. I put my guitar back in it's corner, and together the two us fell backwards on my bed, laying side by side.

"I have a feeling this year's gonna be better from the rest." I said.

"Obviously, since you have me in your life!" Hanon exclaimed.

I laughed harder than I should have.

* * *

**AN:** Alright, so there was that chapter. I have NO IDEA when Chapter 5 will be up, because normally I always have at least one chapter after the one I'm planning to publish done. But I had that stupid vacation, and I'm about to go on another one tomorrow. I'll try to get half of it done tonight, but if I don't, then idk maybe I could just write up a couple of quick drabbles and post them or something? Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter and stick around for the story!


	5. AN

Hey guys, I have some explaining to do.

So as no surprise to anyone, I have not uploaded in a long time. Like, a really long time. I kinda dropped off the face of the earth for a while there, and for that I'm sorry.

I just kinda got this HUGE writers block, and for like a month everything I wrote I HATED and felt like it was complete crap and just deleted it and ignored it.

And then, right when I was getting some writing juice back, SCHOOL decided to sneak up on me and then I got swamped in homework and stress and just grr.

And I'm STILL swamped in hw and stress, but I still wanna continue this story, since I really enjoy writing it. So I'm gonna keep writing it, don't worry, but a lot of things are gonna change.

1. I'm gonna be updating A LOT LESS than before. Like, maybe once every two weeks or so.

2. If I DO update once a week, the chapter's will most likely be REALLY REALLY short.

I know this will upset some of you, and it upsets me too, but my academics come first to me.

Anyways, now that that's all out, I'd just like to apologize again BECAUSE WOW I WAS HORRIBLE AND SELFISH JUST LIKE ABANDONING THIS STORY FOR A MONTH OR TWO. SO I'M REALLY REALLY SORRY.

I have to go now, but Chapter 5 might be uploaded tonight. Depends on what's happening. Anyways, I'm so so sorry for ignoring this, and I'll try my best! Thank you all so much, and I love you all so much!


	6. Those Night Walks on the Beach

Hey guys! Okay well this chapter is WAYYY shorter than the others, and I'm not too happy about the way it turned, but I wanted to update. I'm really sorry that I've been neglecting this story, and I'll be trying even harder to work on it! Just school and life gets in the way, ya know? And suddenly it's been one month since you've updated or even wrote anything and just gah, it's a little crazy. But I still hope you enjoy this story!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Sunday Night_

"You know where I'll be!" I called out to my big sister as I opened up the front door. I had taken it upon myself to go for a walk on the beach every night after dinner was over.

"Dishes?" Nikora yelled from the dining room, where she and Taki were probably gossiping over a glass of wine.

"In the dishwasher!"

"Alright, see ya! Be back by back by 9, okay? You have school tomorrow!"

"Roger!" I shouted as I slammed the door, hurrying to the beach.

When I got there I took off my shoes, squishing my toes in the cool sand as I strolled along the edge of the beach. The stars were on full display, as was the moon, and no one was on the beach. Farther down was a cluster of rocks, where I'd always sit and try to organize my feelings and thoughts. I was headed there now, just enjoying the pretty setting.

My brain, however, decided not to wait for the rocks to start thinking, and started to do so about Kaito.

My heart instantly started to pound a bit harder, and my face reddened when I remembered his hand on my hip, steadying me but also making me more clumsy. Gah, stupid Kaito, taking my feelings and throwing them into a mixer, baking a "Let's Mess Around with Lucia" cake. And the thing that really sets me off is that I doubt he does it on purpose! Him just being him muddles my feelings together! I mean, what would happen if he actually starts to try? The Lucia cake would explode!

Suddenly I was struck by the horrible image of my face in a cake pan, with Kaito laughing cruelly as he put me in the oven. Then it was him opening the oven, the cake exploded and the only thing left of me were my hair ribbons.

"Ah!" I shrieked, breaking out of my nightmare. I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm myself. "It's okay, you're not a cake. See, here's your toes!" I said to myself, wiggling my toes.

"Um, what?" Someone said from behind me. I yelped, jumped about a foot in the air, then turned around to see who it was.

"Kaito!" I exclaimed, immediately flushing at his wary face. "What are you doing?"

"Going for a walk. What are _you_ doing?" He told me, crossing his arms and smirking.

I laughed nervously, scratching the back of my head. "Y'know just, walking, same as you. Enjoying the scenery."

"Uh-huh." He murmured doubtfully. "Didn't know cakes could walk." His broke into a huge grin.

"Oh shut up!" I snapped, shoving him playfully. Laughing, he moved out of the way. I rolled my eyes, trying to look annoyed despite the huge smile on my face.

"Gah, you're irritating." I mumbled, resuming my walk to the rocks. Like I hoped (alright, prayed is a better word for it) Kaito caught up and walked along side me.

"You know you love me." He said cockily. "All the ladies do."

"Nu-uh. Rina doesn't. Hanon doesn't." I told Kaito, nudging him in the ribs. "I don't."

"That's a lie and you know it." He shot back, ignoring my jab. "Oh well, the love of all the other girls is enough for me."

"That's quite a big ego you've got there." I noted mockingly. "Almost as big as your stomach."

"Are you calling me fat?" Kaito clarified, offended. Taking my giggles as yes, he gasped, before pulling up his shirt to reveal a very defined six pack. "Does this look fat to you?"

Blushing, I quit staring at his abs and looked at his face. He looked _extremely_ pleased with himself.

"I'll take that as a no." He said, answering his own question.

"Oh be quiet. You're ruining the beauty of the scenery." I replied, peering around Kaito to look at the ocean. It was peaceful, gently lapping against the shore. Seeing it like this, all dark and vast, reminded me of how small I actually was compared to the world. I was just another 15 year-old girl with her own troubles, no different from the rest of the 15 year-old girls in the world. The thought made me kinda sad, but it also made me realize that that fact didn't change the importance of my problems, or anybody else's.

"Lucia? Luciaaa? You there? Helloooo?" Kaito said, clapping his hands in front of my face. I blinked a couple of times, realizing that I had kind of zoned out on him for a second.

"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking." I apologized, smiling up at him.

"Are you always like that, going off into your own world?" Kaito asked, so soft that I had to strain my ears to hear him.

"Sorry, I'll try not to." I said, staring down at my feet.

"No, I'm not complaining, just wondering." He clarified, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Oh." I perked up a little bit. "Not usually, but this past year it's been happening more and more."

"How come?" Kaito asked, looking into my eyes.

"Uh...um." I stumbled on my words, and looked away. I wasn't really ready to talk about..._that_, but I didn't want to hurt Kaito's feelings. "I-I don't really know. Guess I just haven't really had anything to distract me."

Okay, so that was a _total_ lie, but the truth would be way worse in this situation.

"So you moved away from _Tokyo_ to a tiny little beach town?" Kaito said, raising an eyebrow.

"Trust me, Tokyo isn't all that great." I replied, clasping my hands in front of me. "The streets are too crowded, when it's night time there are hardly any stars in the sky, and you always get woken up at 4 in the morning because of the cars."

"That doesn't sound like anything worth moving away for." Kaito argued, running a hand through his hair, making it even messier. I resisted the urge to stand up on my tiptoes and smooth it out, opting to curl my hands into fists.

"I didn't move away because of those things." I told him, glancing at my watch. It was getting closer to 9.

"Then why did you move?" Kaito asked, narrowing his eyes at me. Not wanting to answer, I changed the topic.

"Say Kaito, you know when we had that fight?" I said shyly, looking down at me feet.

"Yeah…?" He replied, sounding suspicious. I didn't meet his eyes though, and focused on something straight ahead, continuing our conversation.

"You said you knew what dying means, and what it does to people who lost the person." I could feel him stiffen beside me, that's how close we were, but I carried on anyway. "It just made me wonder, have you lost someone important to you?"

He was quiet for a long time, and just when I started to think that I shouldn't have said anything, he spoke up.

"Yeah. Both of my parents died when I was seven." He said, and when I looked over at him, he was fiddling with the pendent on his necklace. It was a small glass vial, and in it was a single pearl. I guessed that it was something of his parent's.

"Kaito...I…I don't know what to say…" I trailed off, feeling useless and sorry that I ever asked in the first place. Honestly, what I was I even trying to prove by asking him?

"It's fine." He shrugged, like the death of his Mom and Dad was no big deal. "It happened a long time ago. I've moved on. Besides," Kaito grinned, back to his old self. "it's pretty sweet being in charge of your own curfew."

I smiled, still feeling horrible. "Ya, I guess that is pretty cool. My sister's pretty laid back about my curfew. So long as I don't disturb the guests, she's fine with whatever."

It was quiet for several minutes after that, the only thing keeping it from being completely silent was the ocean, gently lapping against the shore. Just when I was about to say goodbye, Kaito spoke.

"It must be nice, having a sibling. I always wanted to be an older brother." He was looking at the ocean now, his voice full of longing for a family he could never have. It made me want to drop everything and run to Nikora, and apologize for taking her for granted and how great of a sister she was. It's funny, even after losing someone I love, I'm still selfish enough to take the people close to me for granted. It's like no matter how many times the lesson's taught, I still can't learn.

"Ah well, I should go now." Kaito said, breaking the quiet. He grinned at me, and it wasn't like his other smiles. This one looked...real, sincere. "It was nice talking to you Lucia. Good night."

And then he was walking away, leaving me standing alone with the waves just barely staying clear of my toes, for some reason feeling sadder than before.

* * *

Alright, so that was that! Hope you enjoyed it. I wish it could've been longer, but I can make up for it next chapter or something, right? Alright, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up, but I promise that I am continuing this story! Just as a side thing instead of a main thing, ya know? Thank everyone who's staying with the story, and I'll promise not to let you down!


	7. Realizations

**AN: **Woah, she updated, finally! Yeah, I'm REALLY sorry about that. My sense of time is kind of messed up, so what I think like happened two days ago, actually happened two weeks ago, so before I knew it I was checking when I last updated, and realized it had been more than week. Anyways, I've also decided to post the link to my tumblr in my bio, so if you have any questions about this story you can go on there! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Saturday_

Today was the day. The day I had never thought would come, but thanks to my arrival at Umachi, it was.

The day I would finally learn how to swim.

Looking at my things spread before me, I mentally checked off a list of things that was needed:

Floaties? Check.

Inner tube? Check.

Giant snorkeling mask thingy? Check.

Towel? Check.

Sunscreen? Check.

Smiling, I nodded my head happily as I found I had everything I needed. Now all that was left was Kaito and the actual lesson, which would both be mine soon. I packed everything in a giant bag, singing along to the music on my iPod. Once that was done, I pulled a shirt over my swimsuit and slipped on a pair of flip-flops, ready to go to the beach.

I ran down the stairs that led ended in the lobby, and waved goodbye to Taki, who was talking to some customers. The elderly lady smiled in response, before returning her attention back to the family.

"Yo, Lucia!" Kaito called out to me as soon as I was on the beach, waving me over. I grinned, and picked up pace, shortly arriving in front of Kaito, panting like a dog.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Kaito! I owe you one!" I said, clasping my hands in front of my chest. "Where's the lesson taking place?" My head swung from side to side, looking for somewhere suitable for a swimming lesson.

"_That's_ a secret." Kaito laughed, probably thinking I was an idiot or something. A small part of me minded that, but the rest of me didn't care at all; too excited that _I was actually going to learn how to swim_.

"Well let's go then! We're wasting time!" I cried, adjusting the strap on my bag. "Which direction?"

"Relax, we have plenty of time." Kaito reassured me, starting to walk towards a part of the beach that was almost empty. Huffing at his calm manner, I raced ahead of him enough so that I could walk backwards and talk to him.

"Yes, but I have to get back at around four so that I can get ready for the festival." I told Kaito, spinning loosely in front of him.

He snorted. "What's with girls and taking such a long time to get ready?"

"I dunno," I shrugged, slowing down so we could walk next to each other. "there are just so many things you have to decide, and it kinda takes up your time."

"Girls," Kaito mumbled, shaking his head slightly. I stuck my tongue out at him, before running ahead of him again so that I could walk backwards.

"Are we almost there yet?" I asked.

"No," Kaito said, rolling his eyes. "And what the heck's in your bag? It's a swimming lesson, not a week-long vacation to Hawaii."

I glared at him, protectively hugging the bag to my chest. "I know _that_, dummy. It's just better to be safe than sorry, right? So I brought an inner tube, some floaties, sunscreen, and one of those huge snorkeling mask thingies!"

"How safe do you need to be?" He muttered, smirking when he caught my annoyed expression. "Just relax, will ya? You'll be safe as long as I'm here." He had a point, but I stuck my tongue out at him for good measure, turning around so my back was facing him.

The two of us continued walking for several more minutes, bickering about which fast food place had the best fries, when Kaito stopped near a pile of rocks, declaring that this was the spot. Recognizing they were the same rocks as the ones Sunday night, I blushed.

I'd been thinking about that conversation all week, and I don't really know why. Something changed within me, but no matter how many times I tried to figure it out, I just couldn't seem to get it, and the more I tried the angrier I got. Why did it feel like every time I thought about myself, I was being selfish?

"Yo, Lucia? You ready or what?" Kaito asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I blinked, then flushed when I realized I'd gone into La La Land again.

"Of course I'm ready! I was _born_ ready!" I exclaimed, tossing my bag into the sand and taking off my shoes and shirt. "Alright, which one first, the tube or the floaties?"

"Neither, you idiot. Who uses floaties or tubes anymore anyways?"

"Meanie." I said, sticking my tongue out at Kaito. Still, he had a point there, so reluctantly I left them in the bag, deciding that if something happened, Kaito would be there so it'd be okay. I mean, he had already saved my life, so I should give the guy _some_ credit.

"I thought you were ready?" Kaito called out, already in waist-deep water.

"I am!" I insisted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Then get in already!" He cried, motioning for me to join him.

"Aye aye!" I shouted, running into the water. I was surprised to find that it wasn't that cold, and actually felt really nice against the sun.

"Alright, let's go in a little deeper." Kaito said, taking a couple steps outward. Nodding, I followed him, and soon we were in water that ended just below my chest.

"I think this is deep enough," I told my swimming instructor, uneasy about being so far out. Kaito nodded in agreement, before telling me what to do.

"Okay, so hold onto both of my shoulders, and float in the water." I did as he asked, blushing when I could feel the bones underneath his tanned skin. Through all my excitement over learning how to swim, I had forgotten that this would probably involve touching each other, and was glad for the fact that I had decided to wear a one-piece. God knows what I would've done had I decided to wear a bikini.

"Now," Kaito said, wrapping his hands around my upper arms, "start kicking your feet up and down."

"Alright." I nodded, and started to kick my feet. To my surprise, I could feel myself moving forward, my hands gently pushing against Kaito's shoulders.

We did that for a little while, Kaito telling me what I was doing wrong and what I was doing right. When I was declared a master at it, instead of leaning against Kaito while I kicked, I simply held his hands, supporting myself with just my legs. To say I was ridiculously happy when it worked was an understatement, though a lot of that happiness was due to the fact that I was_ holding hands with Kaito oh my god ohmygod_. I was probably blushing horribly right now, but maybe it was just my hopeful imagination, or was Kaito also blushing?

"So, um, we've got the legs down, now it's time for the arms." Kaito instructed, letting go of my hands. "Are you ready for that?"

I gave a firm nod, putting my hands on my hips. "Of course I am!"

"Alrighty," he grinned, and then started to tread water. "Do you see what I'm doing with my arms? That's what you're gonna do."

I nodded once more, and then copied Kaito. I didn't know if it was working or not, because I was still standing in the water. Noticing that too, in one smooth motion Kaito walked over, wrapped an arm around my waist, and lifted me up so that my feet weren't touching the ground.

"K-Kaito!" I exclaimed, my face bright red. "W-What are you doing?"

"Helping you swim," He answered, "Do you have a problem with it?"

"N-no…" I replied, still blushing furiously.

Kaito, shirtless Kaito, was pressing me against his chest. My bare shoulders could feel his skin, and _ohmygod he was so incredibly fit what the heck._

I shook my head. Focus Lucia, you came here to learn how to swim, not be distracted by Kaito. Repeating this in my head, I started to practice treading water again, completely ignoring Kaito.

Okay, so maybe not _completely_ ignoring him but I mean come on, who could? Most of my attention was on my arms anyways, so it was fine.

The two of us stayed like that for god knows how long, but clearly not long enough because after what seemed like two seconds, Kaito had let go of me and I was keeping myself afloat.

At first, I was disapointed, but then I remembered what that meant.

"OH MY GOD! KAITO! KAITO!" I shrieked, frantically splashing everywhere and looking for the boy. "I'M DOING IT! LOOK, I'M DOING IT!"

"I know! Great job, Lucia!" He told me, giving a small round of applause.

"I'm doing it I'm really doing it ohmygod ohmygod!" I rushed my words, continuing to tread water. Then I started to laugh, but _really_ laugh. Like, full-on, slightly-crazed but 100% heartfelt laughter. I couldn't help it; finally, after years of embarrassment of not knowing how to swim, I was finally doing it. Finally accomplishing one of my longest dreams.

And it was all thanks to Kaito.

Not really knowing what I was doing, I stopped treading water, and flung my arms around Kaito's neck.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou SO MUCH Kaito!" I cried, wiggling my head on each thank you. "You are the best the best THE BEST!"

"L-Lucia?" He croaked.

"Hmm?"

"Can't breathe."

"Oh, right! Sorry!" I said, letting go of the boy. "Are you okay?"

He rubbed his throat, but gave me a cocky smile. "Yeah, don't worry about it. Now, what was that about me being the best? Nice to see you finally admitted it."

Too happy to be annoyed, instead of glaring at him, I slapped my hands against the water, splashing it all over Kaito.

"Hey! Not cool!" He yelled, returning the favor to me. I shrieked, and tried to get away from him, but of course being me, I slipped and fell underwater.

When I popped back up a second later, Kaito was laughing hysterically. Glaring but also smiling like the idiot I was, I walked over to him and pushed him underwater. His face right before he fell in was hilarious, and I started to laugh just like Kaito was a second ago.

"You're gonna pay for that, Lucia." Kaito growled the second he was above water again.

"Only if you can catch me." I giggled, jumping away from him.

"Oh, I can." He said, "I spend more time in the water than I do on land."

"No, you spend more time on a surfboard then you do on land." I corrected.

Kaito rolled his eyes. "We'll discuss this later. Right now is revenge time."

The next hour or so went on like this; Kaito and I splashing each other with teasing in between. Honestly, it was probably the best thing that had happened to me since I came to Umachi. Well, this and becoming friends with Hanon and Rina.

And I _know_ I've said this like twice every single chapter, but I mean it; I was so, so happy that I decided to move to Umachi. It was probably the best decision of my life. I mean, I love Tokyo, I really do. But ever since I came here, I've been the happiest I've ever been in a long time. Umachi, and the people in it, have helped me realized that I can't let the past drag me down. I've just gotta keep on swimming.

After Kaito and I had gotten out of the water, it was already 4 o'clock, and waving a hasty goodbye and promise to make it up to the boy, I ran back towards my home with the biggest grin on my face.

Tokyo may have been where I lived for the majority of life, but Umachi was where I really belonged.

* * *

**AN:** So, that was this week's chapter. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one. It's been such a long time since I've watched the anime or read the manga, I feel like I've kind of lost touch with how the characters really are. I'll probably have to watch some episodes or read a chapter or two to remember them, but hey I am soo not complaining. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all so much for all of your reviews and just putting up with my crap. :)


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